Word Games with Lettered Balls

ABSTRACT

A word-spelling game has a first set of a fixed number of balls as playing pieces, each of the balls in the first set bearing either one, two, three, four, six, eight, or twelve letters of the English alphabet, every ball in the set bearing the same number of letters. In the first set, each of the letters of the English alphabet, except two letters that each may be changed to another letter by rotation of a ball, appears once on a ball in the first set, and a player places balls side by side on a support surface, with letters on the balls all facing in a common direction, to spell words in a game.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present invention is in the technical field of games, and pertains more particularly to word games.

2. Description of Related Art

Word games are played by many people both young and old. A challenge of finding correct letters to spell words appeals to many players. Games such as Scrabble®, Scattergories®, and Boggle® are popular, but players may often desire a different game that offers different challenges. What is needed in the art is a game that provides a plurality of game pieces each having a plurality of letters that may be arranged to spell words. In some embodiments one or more categories may be provided on cards, such that the players may spell words that fit the categories.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment of the invention, a word-spelling game is provided, comprising a first set of a fixed number of balls as playing pieces, each of the balls in the first set bearing either one, two, three, four, six, eight, or twelve letters of the English alphabet, every ball in the set bearing the same number of letters. In the first set, each of the letters of the English alphabet, except two letters that each may be changed to another letter by rotation of a ball, appears once on a ball in the first set, and wherein a player places balls side by side on a support surface, with letters on the balls all facing in a common direction, to spell words in a game.

In one embodiment, the two letters that are not included are any two of M, W, N, Z, U, C, H, I, A and V. Also in one embodiment, the balls in the first set all have a common diameter, from 30 mm to 200 mm inclusive. Also in one embodiment, the balls in the first set all have a common weight, from 10 g to 450 g inclusive. Also in one embodiment, the letters on the balls in the first set have a common height of from 0.25 times the diameter of the balls, to 0.75 of the diameter of the balls, inclusive.

In one embodiment, the game further comprises one or more second sets of balls, each of the second sets being a duplicate of the first set, having the same number of balls, number of letters per ball, and letter distribution. Also in one embodiment, the game further comprises a third set of balls, the third set comprising one or more balls bearing one or more of the letters E, A, R, I, O and T. Also in one embodiment, the game further comprises a support mat having a plurality of circular indentions each for supporting a single ball, the indentions arranged in a manner that balls may be placed in adjacent indentions to spell a word in the English language. In one embodiment, background color for balls is a first color, and letters are in a contrasting color to the background color. And in one embodiment, balls in the first and second sets have a common background color, and balls in the third set have a different background color than in the first or second sets.

In one embodiment, the indentions in the mat are arranged on a common center-to-center distance in rows and columns. Also in one embodiment, a player spells words by placing balls from the set in adjacent indentions, each with a preferred letter facing upward, such that adjacent letters form a word in the English language. Also in one embodiment, all the balls in the sets have relatively soft surfaces. In one embodiment, the indentions in the support mat are circular through-holes, the support mat has a specific thickness, and the relationship of the diameter of the through-holes to the thickness is such that a ball placed over one of the through-holes is supported entirely by the peripheral edge of the through-hole without the ball touching a surface upon which the support mat rests. And in one embodiment, the support mat has a specific thickness, and the indentions are spherical in form without penetrating entirely through the thickness of the support mat, a radius of the spherical form of the indentions equal to a radius of the balls.

In one embodiment, the arrangement of indentions is a Cartesian array having uniform rows and columns of indentions, and a number of indentions equal to or greater than 25. Also in one embodiment, the balls are tennis balls having six letters each implemented on the spherical surface of the balls. In one embodiment, the letters on the tennis balls are implemented on areas of the balls where the letters do not overlap seams of the tennis balls. And in one embodiment, the third set comprises the letters E, A, R, I, O and T each two or more times on the balls of the third set.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates game pieces in an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a card in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a playing surface in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 illustrates a timer in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “BASIC” rules.

FIG. 6 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “SIMPLE” rules.

FIG. 7 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “VANISHING” rules.

FIG. 8 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “MESSY” rules.

FIG. 9A illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “STACKED” rules.

FIG. 9B illustrates an arrangement of base and dependent words in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9C illustrates a second arrangement of base and dependent words in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 10A illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “SHRINKING” rules.

FIG. 10B illustrates another exemplary arrangement of base and dependent words in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 11A illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “STICKY” rules.

FIG. 11B illustrates an exemplary arrangement of connected words in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 12 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “FRIENDLY” rules.

FIG. 13 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “GREEDY” rules.

FIG. 14 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “BRILLIANT” rules.

FIG. 15 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “CRAFTY” rules.

FIG. 16 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “SOPHISTICATED” rules.

FIG. 17 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “SILLY” rules.

FIG. 18A illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “BACKWARDS” rules.

FIG. 18B illustrates an exemplary arrangement of words arranged in alphabetical order by last letter in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 19 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using

“FANCY” rules.

FIG. 20 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “CLAPPING” rules.

FIG. 21 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “DIABOLICAL” rules.

FIG. 22 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “HUGE” rules.

FIG. 23 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “SKINNY” rules.

FIG. 24 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “HUNGRY” rules.

FIG. 25 illustrates a method of playing a game in an embodiment of the invention using “TRIVIAL” rules.

FIG. 26 illustrates an exemplary arrangement of game pieces spelling a word using letters of the same color in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 27 illustrates an exemplary arrangement of game pieces spelling a word using letters of the same font in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 28A illustrates a planar pattern for placing and spacing letters on a ball in an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 28B illustrates a ball covered with the pattern of FIG. 28A.

FIG. 29 illustrates a mat used to hold balls such as shown in FIG. 28B.

FIG. 30 illustrates balls from FIG. 1 arranged on a mat from FIG. 2, spelling words.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a selection of game pieces 100 in an embodiment of the invention. In some embodiments, the game pieces 100 may be three dimensional pieces having four or more sides 102. In some embodiments, each game piece 100 may be a cube having six sides, as shown in FIG. 1. In alternate embodiments, each game piece 100 may have a non-cubical shape, such as a tetrahedron, octahedron, dodecahedron, cylinder, prism, or have any other desired shape. In other embodiments, the game pieces 100 may be cards, tiles, or any other type of game piece. Each side 102 of each game piece 100 may display a letter of the alphabet 104. In some embodiments, each side 102 of each game piece 100 may display a different letter 104. In other embodiments, some sides 102 of a game piece 100 may display the same letter 104 as another side 102 of the same game piece 100 or a different game piece 100. The selection of letters 104 for each game piece 100 may be random and/or varied such that at least some game pieces 100 have a different selection of letters 104 than other game pieces 100. In alternate embodiments, the game pieces 100 may be spheres or other ovoid shapes, and a plurality of letters 104 may be displayed at various points on the exterior of the game piece 100.

In some embodiments one or more letters 104 and/or sides 102 on each game piece 100 may have different styles, such as different colors, fonts, and/or other characteristics. By way of a non-limiting example, a cube shaped game piece 100 may have two sides 102 with red letters 104, two sides 102 with green letters 104, and two sides 102 with blue letters 104. In alternative embodiments, all letters 104 and/or sides 102 may have the same style.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a card 106. Each card 106 may display one or more categories 108 on a face of the card. In some embodiments, each card 106 may display a single category 108. In other embodiments, each card 106 may display a plurality of categories 108, as shown in FIG. 2. In some of these embodiments the plurality of categories 108 may be sorted and/or selected by difficulty, color, number, category type, and/or any other criteria. In some embodiments, the difficulty of the various categories 108 may be color coded. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments a card 106 may display five categories 108, with a “beginner” category 108 in orange, an “easy” category 108 in purple, a “medium” category 108 in blue, an “advanced” category 108 in green, and a “tricky” category 108 in black. In some embodiments categories 108 may be words such as nouns, adjectives, names, or any other type of word. By way of a non-limiting example, FIG. 2 illustrates a card 106 with the categories: “Black Things,” “Sports Equipment,” “Things on a Map,” “Appliances,” and “Counties in this State.” In alternative embodiments categories 108 may be questions, pictures, colors, shapes, numbers, or any other type of category.

FIG. 3 illustrates an embodiment of a playing surface 110. The playing surface 110 may have one or more designated spaces 112. In some embodiments one or more of the designated spaces 112 may be an indentation shaped such that one or more of the game pieces 100 may be inserted into the indentation. In other embodiments, the designated spaces 112 may be outlined areas, apertures, slots, or any other space or region.

Game pieces 100, cards 106, and/or playing surfaces 110 may be used together to play a game. In some embodiments, the game pieces 100, cards 106, and/or playing surfaces 110 may be physical components. In alternate embodiments, the game may be played as a video game, computer program, mobile application, internet game, social network game, or any other type of electronic game. In some of these embodiments the game pieces 100, cards 106, and/or playing surfaces 110 may be digital representations. In alternate embodiments, some components may be physical and other components may be electronic.

The game may be played by one or more players. In some embodiments, a player may play with or against other players and/or computer opponents. In other embodiments, players may be grouped into teams that may play with or against one another. In alternative embodiments, a single player may play the game to attempt to get a high score or achieve other objectives.

In some embodiments, a plurality of game pieces may be provided to each player or team. In other embodiments, each player or team may draw from a pool of game pieces. In some embodiments, a plurality of cards may be provided in a deck. In other embodiments one or more cards may be provided to each player or team. In some embodiments, there may be one playing surface 110 for each player or team. In other embodiments, all players or teams may use the same playing surface 110. In alternate embodiments, the playing surface 110 may be absent, and players or teams may play the game on a table, floor, or any other surface.

In some embodiments, the game may be played by having each player or team select and/or move game pieces 100 with sides 102 that display letters 104 that spell out a word that fits a selected category 108 on a drawn card 106. In some embodiments, the game and/or individual rounds may have a time limit. In these embodiments, a timer 114 may be provided, as shown in FIG. 4. The timer 114 may be a clock, sand timer, buzzer, or other timing device. In some embodiments, players may attempt to spell out the most words using their game pieces 100 during a predetermined time period and/or number of rounds. In other embodiments game pieces 100 may be discarded as they are used, with the winning player being the player who discards the most game pieces 100 during a predetermined time period and/or number of rounds, or is the first player to discard all of his or her game pieces 100. In still other embodiments other scoring systems and/or methods of determining a winner may be used.

Several possible embodiments comprising different sets of rules for playing the game are described below. Each of the sets of rules described below has been given a title, however the titles are for reference only and are not intended to be limiting. Each set of rules is intended to be non-limiting, as in some embodiments elements of one set of rules may be combined or replaced with elements of another set of rules to play the game.

“Basic” Rules

FIG. 5 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may have 40 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell one or more words that fit into one or more categories 108 on the card. In some embodiments, the players may position the game pieces on a surface such that the letters on the side 102 facing upward spell out the intended word. By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 1 a player has positioned game pieces 100 to spell “RIVER,” which fits into the “Things on a Map” category 108 shown in FIG. 2. In some embodiments, players may spell one word for each category 108 on the card 106. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may have at least three letters.

Players may earn a predetermined number of points for each word they spell correctly that fits into a category 108 on the card 106. In some embodiments, other players may verify that words are correctly spelled and fit a category 108 before points are awarded. In some embodiments, a dictionary may be consulted if players are unclear on whether a word is spelled correctly. In some embodiments players may vote on whether to accept another player's word if a player raises a question of whether the word meets fits within a category 108. Players may play the game in this manner to earn enough points to meet or exceed a predetermined winning score. In some embodiments, multiple rounds of selecting a card 106 and spelling words may be played in order to reach a predetermined winning score. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each correctly spelled word that meets a category 108 may be worth one point, and the winning score may be set at fifteen points, such that multiple rounds of selecting cards 106 with five categories 108 each and spelling words may be needed before a player reaches the winning score.

In some embodiments, there may be a predetermined time limit during which players attempt to spell words that meet categories 108 on a drawn card 106, after which points are tallied and a new card 106 is drawn from the deck to begin a new round if no player has reached the winning score. By way of a non-limiting example, the timer 114 may count down a time limit of two minutes per round. In some embodiments, players may re-use game pieces 100 that were used in previous rounds for each new round.

“Simple” Rules

FIG. 6 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 40 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. The cards 106 may have numbered or color coded categories 108, and the players may choose which number or color category 108 to use. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the category 108 on the card 106 corresponding to the selected number or color to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell as many words as possible that fit into that category 108 during a predetermined time limit marked by the timer 114. By way of a non-limiting example, the timer 114 may count down a time limit of two minutes per round. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may have at least three letters. Each correctly spelled word may earn each player a predetermined amount of points for that round, after which a new card 106 is selected and new words are spelled with the same game pieces 100. The players may play a predetermined number of rounds, with the winner being the player with the most points after the final round.

“Vanishing” Rules

FIG. 7 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 40 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. Each card 106 in the deck may have numbered or color coded categories 108. The players may agree on which number or color category 108 will be used. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell a word that fits into the category 108 of the number or color they selected. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may have at least three letters.

When the first player that spells a word that fits the category 108 of the color the player selected, that spelling player may yell out the word and play stops. The word may be verified by the other players as being accurately spelled and appropriate for the category 108. If the word is not spelled correctly or is not appropriate for the category 108, play may resume and players may continue to attempt to spell words with their game pieces 100. After a spelled word has been verified as accurate and appropriate, one or more game pieces 100 may be discarded by the spelling player depending on the length of the spelled word. In some embodiments, the other players may add game pieces 100 if the spelled word was longer than a minimum number of letters 104. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments: for words with three or four letters 104, the spelling player may discard one game piece 100; for words with five letters 104, the spelling player may discard two game pieces 100; for words with six letters 104, the spelling player may discard two game pieces 100 and the other players may each add one game piece 100; for words with seven letters 104, the spelling player may discard three game pieces 100 and the other players may each add two game pieces 100; and for words with eight or more letters 104, the spelling player may discard five game pieces 100 and the other players may each add two game pieces 100.

In some embodiments discarded game pieces 100 may be discarded from the beginning of the spelled word. By way of a non-limiting example, if a player spells the word “THROW,” the player may discard the two game pieces 100 at the front of the word: the game pieces 100 used for the letters “T” and “H.” After game pieces 100 have been discarded and/or added, a new card 106 may be drawn and players may attempt to spell a word fitting into the category 108 of their selected color with their remaining game pieces 100.

In some embodiments, a player may exchange one or more of his or her game pieces 100 between rounds. In alternate embodiments, a player may exchange all of his or her game pieces 100 between rounds. In some embodiments exchanging game pieces 100 may be performed when the player has less than a predetermined number of game pieces 100 remaining. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments a player may exchange all of his or her game pieces 100 when the player has eight or fewer game pieces 100 remaining.

In some embodiments, the winning player may be the first player with less than a predetermined number of game pieces 100 remaining. By way of a non-limiting example, the winner may be the first player with fewer than five game pieces remaining 100.

“Messy” Rules

FIG. 8 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 40 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. Each card 106 in the deck may have numbered or color coded categories 108. The players may agree on which number or color category 108 will be used. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell as many words as possible that fit into the category 108 of the number or color they selected during a predetermined time limit marked by the timer 114. By way of a non-limiting example, the timer 114 may count down a time limit of two minutes per round. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may have at least three letters.

At the end of each round, spelled words may be verified by the other players as being accurately spelled and appropriate for category 108. After a spelled word has been verified as accurate and appropriate, one or more game pieces 100 may be discarded by the spelling player depending on the length of the spelled word. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments: for words with three, four, or five letters 104, the spelling player may discard one game piece 100; for words with six or more letters 104, the spelling player may discard two game pieces 100. In some embodiments discarded game pieces 100 may be discarded from the beginning of the spelled word. By way of a non-limiting example, if a player spells the word “THROW,” the player may discard the game piece 100 at the front of the word: the game piece 100 used for the letter “T.” After the round has been completed and game pieces 100 have been discarded, the players may draw a new card 106 and play a new round.

In some embodiments, a player may exchange one or more of his or her game pieces 100 between rounds. In alternate embodiments, a player may exchange all of his or her game pieces 100 between rounds. In some embodiments exchanging game pieces 100 may be performed when the player has less than a predetermined number of game pieces 100 remaining. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments a player may exchange all of his or her game pieces 100 when the player has eight or fewer game pieces 100 remaining.

In some embodiments, the winning player may be the first player with less than a predetermined number of game pieces 100 remaining. By way of a non-limiting example, the winner may be the first player with fewer than five game pieces remaining 100.

“Stacked” Rules

FIG. 9A illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 40 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. Each card 106 in the deck may have numbered or color coded categories 108. The players may agree on which number or color category 108 will be used. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to create an arrangement of words during a predetermined time limit marked by the timer 114. By way of a non-limiting example, the timer 114 may count down a time limit of three minutes per round. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may have at least three letters.

The players may attempt to create an arrangement comprising a base word and dependent words that re-use the letters of the base word, such that the first letter of each dependent word is one of the letters of the base word. In some embodiments, the base word may fit the selected category, while the base words may be any word. By way of a non-limiting example, for a category 108 that reads “States,” a player may use game pieces 100 to spell the base word “OREGON” and six dependent words that begin with the letters “O,” “R,” “E”, “G,” “O,” and “N” respectively, as shown in FIG. 9B.

In some embodiments, the game pieces 100 of the base word may be positioned vertically when viewed from above, such that dependent words may extend horizontally to the right from the game pieces 100 of the base word. In alternate embodiments, the game pieces 100 of the base word may be positioned horizontally when viewed from above, and the dependent words may extend vertically below the game pieces 100 of the base word.

In some embodiments, the winner of the game may be the player that spelled a base word with the highest number of letters, as long as each letter of the base word also has a dependent word with more than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, a player that plays the arrangement of game pieces shown in FIG. 9B may beat a player that plays the arrangement of game pieces shown in FIG. 9C because the base word “OREGON” in has more letters than the base word “OHIO.” In the event that two or more players spell base words with the same number of letters, the player who used the greatest number of game pieces 100 in his or her arrangement may prevail.

“Shrinking” Rules

FIG. 10A illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 30 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. Each card 106 in the deck may have numbered or color coded categories 108. The players may agree on which number or color category 108 will be used. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to create an arrangement of words. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may have at least three letters.

The players may attempt to create an arrangement comprising a base word and dependent words that re-use the letters of the base word, such that the first letter of each dependent word is one of the letters of the base word. In some embodiments, the base word may fit the selected category, while the base words may be any word. By way of a non-limiting example, for a category 108 that reads “Months,” a player may use game pieces 100 to spell the base word “JULY” and four dependent words that begin with the letters “J,” “U,” “L”, and “Y” respectively, as shown in FIG. 10B.

In some embodiments, the game pieces 100 of the base word may be positioned vertically when viewed from above, such that dependent words may extend horizontally to the right from the game pieces 100 of the base word. In alternative embodiments, the game pieces 100 of the base word may be positioned horizontally when viewed from above, and the dependent words may extend vertically below the game pieces 100 of the base word.

The first player to complete an arrangement of a base word and dependent words all meeting a predetermined minimum length may shout out the base word the player spelled and play may stop. The spelled base word may be verified by the other players as being accurately spelled and appropriate for the category 108. After the spelled base word has been verified as accurate and appropriate, the spelling player may discard the game pieces 100 used in the shortest dependent word. By way of a non-limiting example, if the first player to complete an arrangement of a base word and dependent words spells the base word “JULY” as shown in FIG. 10B, that player may discard the game pieces 100 used in the dependent word “LIP.” After the round has been completed and game pieces 100 have been discarded, the players may draw a new card 106 and play a new round.

In some embodiments, the winning player may be the first player with less than a predetermined number of game pieces 100 remaining. By way of a non-limiting example, the winner may be the first player with fewer than twelve game pieces remaining 100.

“Sticky” Rules

FIG. 11A illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 40 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to create an arrangement of words during a predetermined time limit marked by the timer 114. By way of a non-limiting example, the timer 114 may count down a time limit of four minutes per round. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may have at least three letters.

The words may each fit one of the categories 108 on the card 106. The words may be connected to one another by one or more letters, such that at least letter of one word is re-used as a letter of a separate word. The connected words may be arranged vertically and horizontally when viewed from above. By way of a non-limiting example, the arrangement of words shown in FIG. 11B comprises words connected horizontally and vertically by at least one letter.

In some embodiments, the winner of the game and/or round may be the player who uses the most game pieces 100 in an arrangement of connected, correctly spelled words that each fit into a category 108 on the drawn card 106 within the predetermined time limit.

“Friendly” Rules

FIG. 12 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 40 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell one or more words with the same number of letters that fit into one or more categories 108 on the card during a predetermined time limit marked by the timer 114. By way of a non-limiting example, the timer 114 may count down a time limit of three minutes per round. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters and have the same number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may need to be at least three letters, and a player may choose to spell words all having four letters. In some embodiments, the winner of the game and/or round may be the player that spells the greatest number of words of the same length within the predetermined time limit. By way of a non-limiting example, a player that spells four words each with three letters may beat a player that spells three words each with five letters.

“Greedy” Rules

FIG. 13 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with five game pieces 100. A plurality of auxiliary game pieces 100 may be provided in a pool that is accessible by all players. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell one or more words that fit into one or more categories 108 on the card 100. In some embodiments, the words may be longer than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may have at least three letters. When more than one word is spelled, the words may be connected to one another by one or more letters, such that at least letter of one word is re-used as a letter of a separate word. The connected words may be arranged vertically and horizontally when viewed from above. Once a word has been spelled by a player, the player may break up the word and re-use its game pieces 100 for new or longer words at any later point, as long as all words in the arrangement remain connected.

When a player has zero game pieces 100 remaining after spelling one or more words, that player may add a predetermined number of game pieces 100 from the plurality of auxiliary game pieces 100. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments when a player runs out of game pieces 100 after spelling words, the player may add three game pieces 100. After the player has added new game pieces 100, the player may continue attempting to spell words that fit any of the categories 108 on the card 106. If the players agree that no player may spell any more words that fit any of the categories 108 on the card 106, the players may draw a new card 106 and attempt to spell words that fit any of the categories 108 on the new card 106.

In some embodiments, the winner of the game and/or round may be the first player to acquire more than a predetermined number of game pieces and use them all to spell words that fit into the categories 108 on the drawn cards 106. By way of a non-limiting example, the winning player may be the first player to acquire and use 20 game pieces 100, with no game pieces 100 remaining.

“Brilliant” Rules

FIG. 14 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 40 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell words that fit into any one category 108 on the card 106. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may have at least three letters.

After spelling words, players may place their spelled words into alphabetical order. In some embodiments, the first player to spell more than a predetermined number of words that fit the same category 108 and place the spelled words into alphabetical order may earn a predetermined number of points, and the players may begin a new round by drawing a new card 106. The winner may be the first player to meet a minimum number of points. By way of a non-limiting example, the first player during a round who spells four words that each fit the same category 108 and places those four spelled words into alphabetical order may earn one point, and the winner of the game may be the first player to earn five points.

“Crafty” Rules

FIG. 15 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 40 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may individually select which category to use. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell words that fit into their selected category 108 on the card 106. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters and have the same number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may need to be at least three letters, and a player may choose to spell words all having four letters.

In some embodiments, the first player to spell more than a predetermined number of equally long words that fit the same category 108 may earn a predetermined number of points, and the players may begin a new round by drawing a new card 106. The winner may be the first player to meet a minimum number of points. By way of a non-limiting example, the first player during a round who spells four words of the same length that each fit the same category 108 may earn one point, and the winner of the game may be the first player to earn five points.

“Sophisticated” Rules

FIG. 16 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 40 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell words that fit into any one category 108 on the card 106. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may need to be at least three letters.

The spelled words may each fit into the same category, and may be of increasing length, such that no word has the same number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, a player may select the category “Colors,” and the player may attempt to spell five words of increasing length that fit the category, such as “Red,” “Blue,” “Green,” “Yellow,” and “Fuchsia.” In some embodiments, the player may place the words in order from shortest to longest.

In some embodiments, the first player to spell more than the predetermined number of words of increasing length that fit the same category 108 and places them in order may earn a predetermined number of points, and the players may begin a new round by drawing a new card 106. The winner may be the first player to meet a minimum number of points. By way of a non-limiting example, the first player during a round who spells five words of increasing length that each fit the same category 108 may earn one point, and the winner of the game may be the first player to earn five points.

“Silly” Rules

FIG. 17 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 40 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell words that fit into one of the categories 108 on the card 106. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters and have the same number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may need to be at least three letters, and a player may choose to spell words all having four letters.

The words may each fit the same category 108 on the card 106. The words may be connected to one another by one or more letters, such that at least letter of one word is re-used as a letter of a separate word. The connected words may be arranged vertically and horizontally when viewed from above.

In some embodiments, the first player to spell more than a predetermined number of connected words of the same length that fit the same category 108 may earn a predetermined number of points, and the players may begin a new round by drawing a new card 106. The winner may be the first player to meet a minimum number of points. By way of a non-limiting example, the first player during a round who spells five connected words of the same length that each fit the same category 108 may earn one point, and the winner of the game may be the first player to earn five points.

“Backwards” Rules

FIG. 18A illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 40 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell words that fit into one of the categories 108 on the card 106. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may need to be at least three letters.

The spelled words may each fit the same category 108. After the words are spelled, they may be placed in alphabetical order based on the last letter of each word. By way of a non-limiting example, the last letters of the words fitting the category “Food” in FIG. 18B are in alphabetical order from top to bottom. The winner may be the first player to spell more than a predetermined number of words and place them in alphabetical order by last letter. By way of a non-limiting example, the winner may be the first player to spell five words that all fit the same category and arrange those five words in alphabetical order by last letter.

“Fancy” Rules

FIG. 19 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 40 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell words that fit into each different category 108 on the card 106. Each word may have either the same number of syllables, vowels, or letters. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may need to be at least three letters.

In some embodiments, the first player to spell more than a predetermined number of words having either the same number of syllables, vowels, or letters that each fit into a different category 108 on the card 106 may earn a predetermined number of points, and the players may begin a new round by drawing a new card 106. The winner may be the first player to meet a minimum number of points. By way of a non-limiting example, the first player during a round who spells five words of the same number of syllables, vowels, or letters that each fit into a different category 108 may earn one point, and the winner of the game may be the first player to earn five points.

“Clapping” Rules

FIG. 20 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 40 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell words that fit into a single category 108 on the card 106. Each word may have the same number of syllables. In some embodiment, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may need to be at least three letters.

In some embodiments, the first player to spell more than a predetermined number of words having the same number of syllables that each fit into the same category 108 on the card 106 may earn a predetermined number of points, and the players may begin a new round by drawing a new card 106. The winner may be the first player to meet a minimum number of points. By way of a non-limiting example, the first player during a round who spells four words of the same number of syllables that each fit into the same category 108 may earn one point, and the winner of the game may be the first player to earn five points.

“Diabolical” Rules

FIG. 21 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 40 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell as many words as possible that fit into different categories 108 during a predetermined time limit marked by the timer 114. By way of a non-limiting example, the timer 114 may count down a time limit of three minutes per round. Each word may have a different number of vowels or letters. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may have at least three letters.

In some embodiments if a player spells a word for each category 108 on the card 106 before the time limit expires, and each word has a different number of vowels or letters, that player may be declared the winner. If no player has completed a word for each category when the time limit expires, the player with the most correctly spelled words in different categories with different numbers of vowels or letters may be declared the winner.

“Huge” Rules

FIG. 22 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 40 game pieces 100. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell as many words as possible during a predetermined time limit marked by the timer 114. By way of a non-limiting example, the timer 114 may count down a time limit of three minutes per round. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may have at least three letters.

In some embodiments, each correctly spelled word may earn points depending on the length of the word. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments: words with three letters may be worth one point; words with four letters may be worth two points; words with five letters may be worth three points; words with six letters may be worth four points; words with seven letters may be worth five points; words with eight letters may be worth six points; words with nine letters may be worth seven points; words with ten letters may be worth ten points; and words with eleven or more letters may be worth fifteen points. The winner of a game and/or round may be the player with the most points.

“Skinny” Rules

FIG. 23 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 20 game pieces 100. A deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players. Each card 106 in the deck may have numbered or color coded categories 108. In some embodiments, the players may agree on which two numbered or colored categories 108 will be used. In other embodiments, any number of numbered or colored categories may be agreed upon. A player may take a card 106 from the deck and read and/or display the categories 108 on the card 106 to the other players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell words for each of the selected categories. In some embodiments, each word may be longer than a predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may have at least three letters.

When a player believes he or she has spelled a word for each of the selected categories, play may stop. The words may be verified by the other players as being accurately spelled and appropriate for the categories 108. If one or more of the words are not spelled correctly or are not appropriate for the categories 108, each of the other players may transfer a game piece 100 to the player who spelled the incorrect word, play may resume and players may continue to attempt to spell words with their game pieces 100. If both words are verified as accurate and appropriate, the player who played the words may transfer one game piece 100 to each of the other players and a new card 106 may be drawn to begin a new round.

In some embodiments, the winning player may be the first player with less than a predetermined number of game pieces 100 remaining. By way of a non-limiting example, the winner may be the first player with fewer than thirteen game pieces 100 remaining.

“Hungry” Rules

FIG. 24 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 21 game pieces 100. A plurality of auxiliary game pieces 100 may be provided in a pool that is accessible by all players. The players may then attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell as many connected words as possible during a predetermined time limit marked by the timer 114. By way of a non-limiting example, the timer 114 may count down a time limit of three minutes per round. In some embodiments, each word may have the same predetermined number of letters. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each word may have four letters.

The words may be connected to one another by one or more letters, such that at least letter of one word is re-used as a letter of a separate word. The connected words may be arranged vertically and horizontally when viewed from above.

At any time during the time limit, players may choose to draw a predetermined number of new game pieces 100 from the plurality of auxiliary game pieces 100. By way of a non-limiting example, a player may choose to draw seven additional game pieces 100 from the plurality of auxiliary game pieces 100.

At the end of the time limit, each player may count the number of correctly spelled connected words that each have the predetermined number of letters, and count the number of unused game pieces 100. Each player's score may be the amount of game pieces 100 used in the spelled words subtracted by the number of unused game pieces 100. By way of a non-limiting example, a player who began with 21 game pieces and added seven additional game pieces during the time limit may have spelled six connected words of four letters each and may have used 19 of the player's total 28 game pieces, with nine unused game pieces remaining. That player may subtract the nine unused game pieces from the 19 used game pieces, for a total score of ten. The winner of the round and/or game may be the player with the highest score.

“Trivial” Rules

FIG. 25 illustrates a method of playing the game according to this embodiment of the rules. In this embodiment, a predetermined number of game pieces 100 may be provided to each player or team. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments each player may begin with 40 game pieces 100. In some embodiments one or more players may generate a list of questions. In alternate embodiments, a deck of cards 106 may also be provided that is accessible by all players, and the one or more categories 108 on each card 106 may be questions. Questions may be asked and/or displayed from the generated list and/or cards 106. The players may attempt to use letters 104 on their game pieces 100 to spell words that answer the questions. In some embodiments, questions may be asked and/or displayed one at a time.

In some embodiments, the first player to spell a word that answers the current question may earn a predetermined number of points, and the players may begin a new round by asking and/or displaying a new question. The winner may be the first player to meet a minimum number of points. By way of a non-limiting example, if the question is “What is the capital of Oregon?” the first player to spell “SALEM” may earn a point, and the winner of the game may be the first player to earn ten points.

Modifications

The foregoing sets of rules are purely exemplary, and the rule sets and/or scoring systems may be modified and/or combined to create further ways of playing the game. Most rule sets specify providing the same number of game pieces to each player, but in some games governed by alternative rule sets players may compete for game pieces to get as many as they can before words are spelled out. In some embodiments one or more elements of one set of rules may be combined or replaced with elements of another set of rules to play the game. By way of non-limiting examples, players may play games with multiple rounds of the same rules, play a single round of any rule set, play multiple rounds with or without a time limit, play with the same or different categories for each player, play with a different number of points to determine the winner, play with a different beginning number of game pieces, or play with any other desired modification.

In some embodiments, the game may be even further modified by specifying which letters on which game pieces are valid to play. By way of non-limiting examples, in some embodiments game pieces may have different colors and/or have sides and/or letters with varying colors and/or fonts. In some of these embodiments a player may play game pieces and/or letters on those game pieces with one or more specific fonts and/or colors. By way of non-limiting examples, in the exemplary arrangement shown in FIG. 26 all the letters 104 that spell “BLUE” may be of the same color, and in the exemplary arrangement shown in FIG. 27 all the letters 104 that spell “FONT” may be in the same font. In other embodiments, all words may have matching fonts and/or colors. In some embodiments, the color of fonts and/or colors may match the color of a selected category 106. In still alternate embodiments players may earn bonus points for matching fonts and/or colors. By way of a non-limiting example, in some embodiments a player may earn one point for each spelled word, but earn an extra point for any spelled words that comprises game pieces with matching fonts and/or colors.

In another aspect of the invention the scale of a game may be expanded, and such a game may be, for example, provided for play outdoors, in an open environment. In such a game, it may be desirable to have game pieces that are much larger than game pieces thus far described in embodiments of the invention described above.

In one aspect of the invention, balls, such as tennis balls, are adapted and configured as game pieces. FIG. 28A illustrates a planar pattern of a fabric that is cut in a manner that the pattern may be wrapped around a ball of a corresponding circumference. FIG. 28B illustrates a ball around which a pattern like that of FIG. 28A has been wrapped, and adhered. In some cases the fabric of the pattern may be applied using an adhesive, and in some cases the fabric pattern may be stitched along the edges. In some cases, the pattern may be adhered by adhesive and stitches as well.

On the flat pattern of FIG. 28A, dimension C represents the circumference of ball 2803 to which the pattern will properly fit. In wrapping the fabric around the ball, edge 2804 will join along edge 2805, edge 2806 will join along edge 2807, and edge 2808 will join along edge 2809.

In FIG. 28A six letters are shown implemented on the fabric prior to the fabric being applied to the ball. Application to the flat pattern is a convenient and preferable way to apply the letters. The letters may be printed, embossed, stamped, painted or applied in any other way to the fabric surface.

It is to be understood that tennis balls as game pieces is just one example of balls used as game pieces, and that other balls may also be used. In the case of tennis balls, there are strict regulations pertaining to balls that may be used in such as tournaments. Modern tennis balls must conform to certain criteria for size, weight, deformation, and bounce criteria to be approved for regulation play. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) defines the official diameter as 6.54-6.86 cm (2.57-2.70 inches). Balls must have masses in the range 56.0-59.4 g (1.98-2.10 ounces). Yellow and white are the only colors approved by the ITF, and most balls produced are a fluorescent yellow known as “optic yellow”, first introduced in 1972 following research demonstrating they were more visible on television.

For a modern tennis ball, having a diameter of 6.7 cm, the circumference, and hence dimension C in FIG. 28A, is 21.0 cm, which is 8.28 inches. Referring to the fabric pattern of FIG. 28A over the region defined by dimension C, there are four letters. The maximum height of a region for a letter is thus 5.25 cm, right at 2.1 inches. At this height, the letters would touch one another, so for a ball the size of a tennis ball, the letters need to be less than 2 inches high, to leave space between the letters, so letters as perceived in game play will be easily distinguishable. In one implementation letters of about 1 inch, or about 2.54 cm, are used, which leaves a space between letters that is equal to the height of individual letters.

To be easily distinguished in game play, letters need to have a certain minimum thickness of the lines of the letters as well. The inventor is of the opinion that letters having a line thickness, or weight, of less than one mm, are too thin to be useful in playing the game in embodiments of the invention. Similarly, at a height of from 25 mm to about 38 mm., which is from 1 to 1.5 inches, a line thickness of 10 mm, is about a maximum for the letters to be easily distinguishable.

It was stated above that tennis balls are not a limiting feature in embodiments of the invention. It is preferable, however, that balls be rather soft and flexible, rather than hard and rigid. This is partly because rigid balls tend to do more damage if thrown or dropped. As to limits on ball diameter, balls as small as 3 cm, or as large as 20 cm. may be used in different versions of the game.

Given the above constraints and examples, a relationship between ball diameter, letter height and letter line weight may be stated, for preferable embodiments of the invention, as follows:

D=ball diameter; H=letter height; T=letter line weight. D may vary from 25 mm to 200 mm. H may vary from 0.25 D to 0.75 D. T may vary from 0.025 D to 0.075 D

This relationship provides a minimum ball diameter of about 1 inch, and a maximum ball diameter of about 7.8 inches. With six letters per ball, the letter height for different diameter balls will vary from a height that will leave a spacing between letters of about twice the letter height, to letters that very nearly touch on the surface of a ball. The line weight will be about 0.1 of the letter height in each case. The taller the letter, the heavier the line.

In some embodiments of the invention, the weight of the balls as playing pieces may be important, and the weight of balls may be related closely to the size of the balls. The inventor has discovered that a minimum useful weight for balls in embodiments of the invention is about 10 grams, and a maximum weight is about 454 grams, which is one pound. Balls too light, too small, too big, or too heavy may provide an obstacle to comfortable play in versions of the game of the invention.

In various embodiments of the invention, the number of balls, and the distribution of letters on balls is important. Considering, for example, the English alphabet, if six different letters are printed or otherwise placed on each of four balls, with no letter repeated, in the set of four balls, those four balls will provide one instance of each letter in the English alphabet, in playing a spelling game, because the letters Z and N, and the letters W and M, may be interchangeable. That is, in spelling a word, a player may arrange a ball with the letter M showing, or turn the same ball 180 degrees to use the letter W. The same is true of the letters Z and N, except the player would turn the ball 90 degrees to differentiate.

Further to the above, there are certain letters in the English alphabet that are used more frequently in forming words than other letters. The letters E, A, R, I, O and T are frequently used letters. So, in some embodiments these letters are provided on balls more than the other letters.

In one embodiment of the invention, balls are lettered as follows:

Ball 1 has EQSKLB in six positions spaced as indicated in FIGS. 28A and 28B. Ball 2 has AJTWCX in the six positions Ball 3 has RGNYUH in the six positions Ball 4 has IVOFDP in the six positions Ball 5 has EARIOT in the six positions

Note that in a set of balls comprising balls 1, 2, 3 and 4, the letter M is not specifically represented, and the letter Z is not specifically represented. These two letters may be formed by rotation of the balls having the letters W and N.

In one embodiment of the invention sixteen of each of balls 1 through 5 are provided, making a total of eighty balls in the game. The letters other than E, A, R, I, O and T are represented sixteen times each in the set of eighty balls, (480 letters). E, A, R, I, O and T, which are letters more used in forming English words, than the letters on balls 1, 2, 3 and 4, are represented 32 times in the overall set.

It is to be understood that the set of balls in a game as just described, is not a limitation in all embodiments of the invention. If a game is intended for a small number of players, fewer balls may be provided in the game set. For a larger number of players, as many as 160 balls may be provided, with proportional letter distribution to that described above.

One ball that may be useful as a playing piece in embodiments of the invention may well be a tennis ball, upon which letters may be implemented either by printing or drawing on a planar pattern as shown in FIG. 28A, and then applying the pattern to a ball core by an adhesive, or by stitching, or both. But it is emphasized here that tennis balls are merely one candidate for balls in embodiments of the invention. Balls with a broad range of characteristics may be used, as well, and those characteristics that are preferable are listed and described in detail above.

FIG. 29 is a perspective illustration of a mat 2901 in an embodiment of the invention. Mat 2901 has through openings 2902 arranged in a Cartesian coordinate system with rows and columns. In this example the arrangement is five by nine, providing forty-five through openings. It is necessary that the thickness of mat 2901 be provided such that if a ball is placed over one of the through openings, the ball will be supported by contact with the circular periphery of the opening, and the ball will not rest on a support surface upon which the mat may rest. The thickness to just support a ball off a support under the mat is a minimum thickness for a mat in this embodiment, but the thickness may be greater than this minimum thickness. In some embodiments, the thickness of the mat may be equal to or greater than the minimum thickness, and instead of openings, spherical indentions of the same diameter as a game ball may be provided in the arrangement on the mat. An advantage in this embodiment is that more of the surface of a ball will be engaged by surface of the mat, and the balls may be held more securely.

FIG. 30 is a perspective view of a mat 2901 with an arrangement of through-openings as described above, with ten balls 2801 placed on openings in the mat such that balls placed spell two words, the words being “spell” and “words”. It should be noted that the intention here is to place the balls so that the intended letters (characters) face upward, upward being vertical relative to the horizontal placement of the mat on a support surface.

Lettered balls 2801 as game pieces placed on a mat 2901 may be used to play any of the games described above, and may be serviceable for new types of games in this invention, where balls with characters may be involved in games that have rules as described in many embodiments above, but also additional components, such as, for example, instances of throwing, batting and retrieving the lettered ball during the playing of a word game. Balls may be retrieved, for example, from a basket or other container at random, thrown against a wall, caught by a player, and then, according to what character faces upward when the ball is caught, become the first letter of a word to be formed according to an agreed-to category of words in the game. A player, then deciding on a word in the category starting with the first letter determined, may by rule be required to throw balls at random and catch them rebounding until the second and subsequent letters may be revealed by catch position and place on the mat to form the word intended.

Many athletic word games may be thus composed with rules to accommodate lettered balls as described above, in many instances using rules of the games described above, or a mixture of described rules, and additional rules specific to a game played with balls. Games and lettered balls will be used by teachers, trainers, coaches and facilitators who want to combine physical activity with word/math games. Such balls can be used to teach juggling, dribbling, kicking, throwing, catching and a variety of other athletic skills, and then they can be used for more cognitive challenges using the letters or numerals on the balls. An example of such a challenge might be that there are two teams and everyone starts with a ball. Everyone needs to dribble their ball across a basketball court and make a basket. If they make a basket, then their team will get to use that ball when it is time to spell. This could also be done with kicking the balls into a goal or hitting the balls over a net. After the competing teams have each had a chance to win their balls, the facilitator would then direct them to spell using those letters. They might be given specific words/numbers to build or they might just be directed to spell as many words as they can. They might be given questions and they need to assemble the correct answer using the balls. For example, “What is the capital of Oregon?”, or “What is 12 times 23?” Such a product is needed because it creates an easy way to combine fun, physical activity and exercise with academic or cognitive challenges. There are many games that involve spelling or math but these balls will give people the ability to play athletic games that also involve math and language arts.

Although the invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the invention as described and hereinafter claimed is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims. 

1. A word-spelling game, comprising: a first set of four or six balls as playing pieces, each of the balls in the first set bearing six or four, indicia, each indicia representing a letter of the English alphabet, respectively, every ball in the first set bearing the same number of letters, each letter spaced on the surface of the balls as to not overlap with another letter, all of the letters of the alphabet represented in the first set, wherein two of the indicia each represent two different letters of the English alphabet; a timer; and a support mat having a plurality of circular indentions each for supporting a single one of the balls, individual ones of the indentions at least arranged adjacent to each other in a linear array; wherein, the first set of balls is distributed to each of a plurality of players, the timer is set and begins to count down time, and each player physically places the balls in the circular indentions in a line in order to display specific letters in a sequence, enabling the formation of a word or words in the linear array prior to the timer finishing the count down.
 2. The word-spelling game of claim 1, wherein the two letters that are represented by a single indicia are any two of M, W, N, Z, U, C, H, I, A and V.
 3. The word-spelling game of claim 1 wherein the balls in the first set all have a common diameter, from 30 mm to 200 mm inclusive.
 4. The word-spelling game of claim 3 wherein the balls in the first set all have a common weight, from 10 g to 450 g inclusive.
 5. The word-spelling game of claim 3 wherein the letters on the balls in the first set have a common height of from 0.25 times the diameter of the balls, to 0.75 of the diameter of the balls, inclusive.
 6. The word-spelling game of claim 1 further comprising one or more second sets of balls, each of the second sets being a duplicate of the first set, having the same number of balls, number of letters per ball, and letter distribution.
 7. The word-spelling game of claim 6, further comprising a third set of balls, the third set comprising one or more balls bearing four or six of the letters E, A, R, I, O and T.
 8. (canceled)
 9. The word-spelling game of claim 1, wherein background color for balls is a first color, and letters are in a contrasting color to the background color.
 10. the word-spelling game of claim 1, wherein balls in the first and second sets have a common background color, and balls in the third set have a different background color than in the first or second sets.
 11. The word-spelling game of claim 1, wherein the indentions in the mat are arranged on a common center-to-center distance in rows and columns.
 12. (canceled)
 13. The word-spelling game of claim 1, wherein all the balls in the sets have relatively soft surfaces.
 14. The word game of claim 1 wherein the indentions in the support mat are circular through-holes, the support mat has a specific thickness, and the relationship of the diameter of the through-holes to the thickness is such that a ball placed over one of the through-holes is supported entirely by the peripheral edge of the through-hole without the ball touching a surface upon which the support mat rests enabling the players to physically position each of the balls to fully display a desired letter.
 15. The word-spelling game of claim 1 wherein the support mat has a specific thickness, and the indentions are spherical in form without penetrating entirely through the thickness of the support mat, a radius of the spherical form of the indentions equal to a radius of the balls.
 16. The word-spelling game of claim 1 wherein the arrangement of indentions is a Cartesian array having uniform rows and columns of indentions, and a number of indentions equal to or greater than
 25. 17. The word game of claim 1 wherein the balls are tennis balls each having six indicia each implemented on the spherical surface of the balls.
 18. The word game of claim 17 wherein the letters on the tennis balls are implemented on areas of the balls where the letters do not overlap seams of the tennis balls.
 19. The word-spelling game of claim 7, wherein the third set comprises the letters E, A, R, I, O and T each two or more times on the balls of the third set. 